The Dragonflies and Damselflies of Eastern Africa Handbook for all Odonata from Sudan to Zimbabwe

About this book

Few animal groups can represent the greatest (insects) and most threatened (freshwater) biodiversity on earth as well as dragonflies, perhaps the best-known and most colourful of all aquatic insects. Fifteen years in development, The Dragonflies and Damselflies of eastern Africa is the first handbook of its extent and detail on tropical Odonata. Extending from Sudan and Somalia to Zambia and Mozambique, including the entire eastern half of the Congo Basin, The Dragonflies and Damselflies of Eastern Africa covers a third of Africa, about ten million square kilometres, an area comparable to China or the United States, but treats almost two-thirds of the continent's species. More than 500 species are illustrated with 1 120 original drawings and over 360 colour photographs portraying 320 species. Identification keys to adult males of all species set a new standard for recognising 'the birdwatcher's insects' in Africa, detailed genus descriptions provide the most comprehensive account of their ecology and taxonomy so far, and all species have been furnished with a vernacular English name for the first time. Verified checklists are presented for Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe

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Biography

Klaas-Douwe B Dijkstra was the author of the highly successful Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe. Viola Clausnitzer has been chairwoman of the IUCN Dragonfly Specialist Group for more than ten years.